The Ultimate Egg Sandwich

Eat This Sandwich For Breakfast, Lunch, Or Dinner

After missing out on ever getting an egg and eggplant sandwich from the Clover Food Lab food truck in Boston, I decided to have a go at making my own. I did a little research and discovered that egg-eggplant sandwiches are actually a classic Iraqi-Israeli dish. It's a delicious layering of Middle Eastern flavors — garlic, lemon, eggplant, eggs, parsley, cucumber, tomato, and tahini.

My version is inspired by several different recipes I found in my reading. I think this works as a meal pretty much any time of day though I like it for breakfast or lunch. If you're making them for breakfast, it really helps to have prepped the components ahead of time, so then all you have to do in the morning is assemble.

Instructions
1. First roast your eggplant. Heat your oven to 425° F. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner, toss the eggplant slices with a generous amount of olive oil and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove. If you're making these ahead, refrigerate them then rewarm them slightly just before using.

2. To make the salad part of the filling, toss the chopped tomato, cucumber, jalapeno, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Sprinkle all the sliced eggs with salt and pepper. Then, to assemble your sandwiches, first warm the pitas. You can cut them in half and stuff the filling in them, or you can pile the fillings on top of each pita. Spread each pita with some hummus, then top or stuff with some slices of eggplant, some of the tomato-cucumber salad, one sliced hardboiled egg, some pickle, and any additional salt and pepper to taste.